Churchill

Manitoba

Saw this beautiful mom and cubs in Churchill on the Tundra Buggy with Frontiers North. Churchill sits on the Hudson Bay and it's where the polar bears gather in the fall to wait for the bay to freeze so they can go hunt for seals during the winter. I was there in late October and there should have been snow and ice on the ground already, but it was rainy and warm for that time of year. The warmer temperatures are causing the bay to take longer to freeze, and also causing it to melt sooner which significantly shortens the bears' hunting season. The bears are feeling the stress and the experts told us that they were looking skinnier and less healthy, especially the past 5 years or so. Some scientists (not all) are saying the Churchill sub population could be wiped out by the end of the decade if the next 5 years continue on this trend. It's Polar Bear Week, see what you can do to help:
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/save-our-sea-ice/polar-bear-week